Love Yourself More by Being Thankful Everyday

Is your love jar full?  It is not easy to be appreciative, but there are simple ways to develop an attitude of gratitude.  I used to be an unappreciative person. I am entitled to the good things without reciprocating. I am not living gratefully,  I was not contented, I am not happy.

I was led to a spiritual change in my life and came to gradually realized how blessed I am.  I wanted to share these things, facts, and truths, that after all I have been through I am in a better place than the billion people in the world. First of all, you must open to appreciating all the things that surround you.

I am Blessed and Thankful because:

• I was able to wake up this morning and had a good night's sleep, after all not everyone was able to make it to next day.

• I have a decent food to eat on breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am so blessed compared to 9% of people living in extreme poverty in the world according to World Bank last year.

• I can lift my fingers and hands to work, and see, smell, hear and taste, then I would be able to feel all the wonders in life.

• If I can walk now and bring myself anywhere, then it allow me to live my life to the fullest. 

• I have my parents with me and relatives and friends for support and companionship. 

• I can reach for a cold water to drink, or water for bath, and ocean to swim.

• I have work for income and opportunity to do my best and be recognized by my work.

• I have such talent and skills which I used to rely on to live well and make the most of my abilities.

• I have freedom to do what I plan and think and live as I please.

• We have internet access and access to new technologies for convenient life and communicate.

• We are literate, was able to go to school, and probably have finished college, compared to less than 20% of people in the world that are illiterate according to World Bank.

• Be thankful in your prayers. After all, everything came from God. 

There are still more you can think of how grateful you are. It is better that you think of it everyday so you can cultivate the virtue of gratitude. 

After I realized how blessed I am, I started to be thankful once I woke up in the morning. I have here simple ways to help you practice gratitude which transformed me to be contented and improved my well-being:

• Create a Gratitude journal. List down good things that happened to you and be thankful for it.  You can do this during the morning or before you go to bed.

• Immediately say thank you to the people who have helped you in very small ways.  You can say thanks to the waiter who served your order, or the security guard who opened the door for you, or someone in the office who just hand out something to you.

• Think of people you are grateful for.  These can be your family, relatives, friends, or any person that you like having around, or you remembered something from them that you feel so special and happy. Insert this thanksgiving in your journal.

• If you missed saying thank you and remembered at the end of the day, you can send that person a thank you message either in SMS, messenger, viber, etc.

• Write down all things, people and hobbies that you interact everyday. (E.g. for things are car, tablet, shoes, for Hobbies are driving, analysis or reading)Write each of the item separately in a small paper and put it all inside a jar or a container.  Everyday, you pick one and say something positive and good and what to be thankful for whoever and whatever it is written. For example, you have picked in your note 'Car', then be thankful that you have a car, not everyone has a car to drive with. If you picked that says ' Reading', be thankful that you are able to read, you have eyes to do it and you are literate. Either, you think of this or write it in your journal.

Benefits of Being Grateful Everyday:

Improves Health.   If your emotion is positive, that adds up to calming your physical health, improves your sleep quality, and fewer aches and pains.

Increases Happiness. Thinking and doing good things release dopamine and serotonin that significantly affects our mood, promotes a feel good emotions and contentment.  It reduced negative emotions as you will appreciate what you already have.

Stronger relationship.  Every expression of gratefulness gives an affirmation, and adds love tank to the recipient, thus builds love and trust. You are more likely to be kind, helpful and generous.  Being thankful helps you to value the people that supports you, and people who are always being around.

Greater resilience.  Because being grateful helped you cultivated positivity, you focuses on positive things even though there are challenges and adversity in your life.

If this is something you would like to practice everyday, then you have to decide that this should be part of your routine.  You can check out my other topic on having a morning routine for a single woman or woman who would like to improve herself.  With the scientific study on the impact of being grateful to our brain and well-being, this will evidently show on you as you progress in this process.